New York @ Dallas preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 19, 2018 ) Dallas 1, NY Rangers 2

Despite struggling to find consistency for much of the season, the Dallas Stars are holding down the top wild card in the Western Conference as they enter a favorable portion of the schedule. The Stars will play eight of the next 10 at American Airlines Center, starting with Tuesday night's matchup versus the visiting New York Rangers.

Dallas has momentum entering its three-game homestand after capping a 3-1-0 road trip with a 4-1 win at St. Louis to pull within three points of the Blues for third place in the Central Division. "It's literally win your game and move onto the next one," forward Jason Spezza said. "I thought it was a great road trip. We did a good job of focusing on the game we were playing and not looking too far ahead." The Rangers will be looking to find some solace on the road after completing a three-game winless homestand to extend their skid to four (0-1-3). "I think one game goes to overtime you might think it's some fluke, two maybe - but it's three out of four that have gone into overtime," coach David Quinn said after Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to Washington. "Certainly a great measuring stick, but you want to win."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

ABOUT THE RANGERS (27-27-11): Rookie forward Filip Chytil was back in the lineup against Washington after sitting out the previous two contests as a healthy scratch and collected an assist on Pavel Buchnevich's goal. Quinn said Chytil, a first-round draft pick in 2017, earned a shot at more playing time from the way he has practiced. “It seems in the week he’s been out, it’s been a different Filip Chytil,” Quinn said “He’s gone to another level with his work ethic and demeanor, and I thought this would be a good game to get him in."

ABOUT THE STARS (33-27-5): Defenseman John Klingberg, out six weeks earlier in the season due to a broken hand, missed Monday's practice due to illness but is expected to be in the lineup against New York. Klingberg, who set career highs with 59 assists and 67 points last season, ended an 11-game goal drought by scoring once and setting up two tallies Saturday. "John Klingberg is a difference maker, and he expects to make a difference," coach Jim Montgomery said. "He wants the puck on his stick, and those are the kinds of players you win with."

OVERTIME

1. Dallas G Ben Bishop will take a 10-2-0 record and 1.91 goals-against average versus New York into Tuesday's start.

2. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist beat the Stars 2-1 earlier this season to improve to 9-6-0 with a 2.27 GAA against them.

3. Stars F Andrew Cogliano, who had never missed a game due to injury until getting hurt last week, is expected to sit out his third in a row.

PREDICTION: Stars 4, Rangers 2